The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing instrument, and more particularly to, a chip-lifetime testing instrument for a semiconductor device which can detect inferior chips by testing the performance and electrical lifetime thereof in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor devices.
In general, the chip-lifetime test of semiconductor devices has been carried out after packaging chips by loading, wire-bonding, and molding processes and the test has been achieved by connecting the externally exposed leads of a package to power supplying means of a chip-lifetime testing instrument.
Since the performance and electrical lifetime test of the chip is carried out in the packaged state, therefore, unsatisfactory chips have already been packaged, reducing the efficiency of production and resulting in substantial cost such as the waste of materials due to packaging unsatisfactory chips.
Also, the testing instrument for the packaged chip must be large in order to be connected electrically to the externally exposed leads of the package. Thus, the set-up cost increases and large spaces are needed.